Free Help Determine Health Insurance Eligibility to be Offered Tuesday in Wheeling

WHEELING - Free help to determine eligibility for and enroll into public health insurance is slated to be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, 1500 Chapline St., Wheeling.

Jeremy Smith, program director for the West Virginia Navigator program, said representatives of the program will be stationed across the state of West Virginia, including in Wheeling, on Tuesday to help people determine their eligibility into Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act Marketplace.

The day of free help has been dubbed "Cover WV Day."

Smith said recent changes to the ACA Marketplace have made more people eligible for the insurance program. Many of its plans also have been reduced in cost, making it easier for more people to afford. Some plans cost less than $10 per month.

The deadline to enroll this year is Jan. 16.

Smith said it is important for people to check their eligibility into these programs as having health insurance can be a lifesaving tool. For example, he noted last year a woman told the program that after getting her ACA Marketplace insurance she got a doctor checkup which led to her breast cancer being discovered sooner. She was then able to get treatment for the disease.

He added there are many cases in which someone may be eligible for the Marketplace insurance. For example, someone may be between jobs and need insurance to continue getting checkups or treatments.

"Someone who looked into it in the past should come look again. I think they will be pleasantly surprised on the rates and changes," he said.

Also, someone's employer may not offer insurance or adequate insurance.

"The rule now is whatever your employer is offering, if it's more than 8.39% of the family income it's considered unaffordable and you could look at a Marketplace option," he said.

Smith said the goal of Cover WV Day is to get more of the state's residents insured. There are currently more than 100,000 West Virginia residents without any health insurance, he said.

Having health insurance allows people to get needed doctor checkups to "catch small problems before they become big problems," he said.

"We want everyone to have it in the state. This day is all free assistance. No one helping gets a commission," he noted.

Smith said people who cannot make it to the free help day can call 844-982-2737 or visit www.wvnavigator.com for help.